"Aww. How cute."

Those words followed a slow clap echoed through the broken forest.

George leaned against a half-split trunk like he had been there the whole time. "The Dominics actually have a soft side, even if only to themselves." He folded his arms. "It is interesting to see.’

Killian slowly turned his head. He glared at the man looking him up and down.

George sighed softly. "Of course, I will get glared at." He pushed off the trunk, walking towards them.

"Anyway, young lady. You can forget about finishing your mission. I already killed the other orcs and that completes your requirement."

Killian’s glare softened. He looked around the surroundings, and his eyes fell on the crispy corpse of the orc. Could it have been that these orcs were undergoing mass population control?

He had assumed the reason his sister was sent here was because they were acting weird, but everyone misunderstood how severe their weirdness was.

If the WLog had recommended the realm for population control, then didn’t it oppose the angel who tried to raise orc Wardens?

Killian sighed, turning to his sister who had gone unusually silent. He glanced at George who Quara watched with suspicion.

"What the hell are you doing here? By any chance," her voice dropped an octave. "Are you here to kill me for getting kidnapped?"

Silence.

For more assurance, since George had always been a suspicious one, Killian pulled his sister towards himself. The siblings’ eyes never left George whose folded arms had fallen.

"Excuse me?" George blinked once, caught off guard. "Why would I want to do that? How does that even make sense?"

"Well yeah, you were here and weren’t really trying to find her?" Killian muttered under his breath. "After your report, is there anything else you plan to do?"

George opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. For a second, he looked almost hurt, before his usual smile returned to his face.

"Typical of the Dominics. Always thinking someone has ulterior motives to kill them when they’re the most suspicious ones."

Quara only hummed, quickly glancing at her sword in her brother’s hand. "If you don’t have such intentions, thank you for your assistance."

The gratitude was so stiff that George scoffed, walking ahead.

He remarked as he left, "Your sister was out here trying to finish her mission, even after she escaped, while you were fighting orcs and heavenly warriors for her sake..."

George shook his head slightly, strolling off.

Killian frowned slightly, stepping back from Quara abruptly. "What?" His voice cracked just enough to ruin his composure.

Quara raised a finger, then dropped it. "I just needed to complete my duty."

"Y-Your duty?" Killian muttered in disbelief.

He raised his gaze to the skies, placing a hand on his head. "You finally escaped and your first thought was finishing your mission? Are you so reckless?"

"How else would I be allowed to leave?" Quara asked, her voice quiet because she also knew how silly her words sounded.

"Unless I reached the expected requirements, my WLog wouldn’t let me leave regardless of what I encountered."

Killian’s frown remained, but he understood her point better.

He sighed tiredly. The WLog was truly the bondage that tied a Warden to their mission. The system that opposed even angels and forced their Wardens to do their bidding.

He dug for the vial in his pocket and stretched it to her.

"Let’s go home, Sis."

Quara’s eyes narrowed at the vial, before looking at her brother. "Drink it." She pulled him towards the exit.

"It is for you!"

"I said drink it! You need it too!"

Killian sent it back to his inventory, earning a sigh from his older sister. "So stubborn," she said, following behind George who was ahead.

Reaching the forked path, George took the other path Killian had followed earlier. He paused when he noticed Quara and Killian took the same path.

"I want to check the other path for my report. You two can go the other way. It’s shorter." He had a tone of finality that made Quara frown.

She didn’t refute, and pulled her brother with her towards the other path. Killian watched George leave to the left, wondering why George seemed to be displeased.

Also, George should know better than to leave two injured persons to walk a path. ’Is he upset because of what Sis said?’

’I didn’t think he was the kind to care. Or not understand that she’s suspicious of him because he has a violent reputation.’

He stared at the sword laid in his hands, reminding himself of the stain. He cleared his throat. Quara glanced at him, then back at the shrubs she had been watching. "What is it?"

"Onyx got hurt... a little. It attacked me so—"

"Onyx attacked you?" Quara flexed her fingers, and the sword sprang from Killian’s hands into hers. "Did it hurt you?" She looked him over again.

"Uh, no. But I might’ve stained it." He pointed at the stain.

She wiped it off with her palm but it didn’t budge. She hummed for a second and Killian swallowed hard. "It is fine then. It likely attacked you because you had a heat signature."

Killian exhaled, nodding. ’I guess she’s in a good mood since everything is over.’ 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Something in the shrubs stirred, sending Quara’s attention to it again. The movement stopped but her gaze sharpened.

"Onyx!"

The weapon shot from Quara’s side instantly, flames trailing behind the blade as it tore through the bushes.

A small whimper came first.

CRASH!

A massive figure burst out. Its large feet slammed into the ground first, claws digging into the ground.

A thick brown fur covered the creature’s huge frame, muscles shifting beneath its body as it landed low with a growl rumbling from its chest. Its rainbow-colored eyes locked onto them.

Killian froze for half a second,as he stared back at those familiar eyes. He frowned.

’That knight. I should’ve killed her immediately.’